"Free protection for your computer - just click below". Seriously? You're going to fall for that? You don't even know who I am. How many free pills would you be willing to scoop up if some random person placed a few thousand pills on a table labeled "free medicine?" Before we get into this list of stupid things, let's first see if you are still flying by the seat of your pants without proper virus and malware protection. If so, then you are on a different, even less flattering list.
Are you a fish? Then why are you acting like one? You swim around the Internet looking for interesting items. Like a fish, when you see something shiny or that looks like food, you click. Free what? Wow. You can't pass this up. Before you know it, you're hooked; and you don't even know what you signed up for, let alone how to cancel it. Then, you notice a program that pops up every time you log in. Soon, your hard drive is getting fried and your search engine is crawling in strange places while pop-ups ignore your pop-up blocker. The lesson here is - if you don't know what it is, where it came from, or who is offering it, don't click.
Also Read :
7 Tips to Keep Your Personal Computer Secure
How to Protect Your Computer from Malware (Infographic)
A virus pirate is someone who plants a virus in your computer. This states that your computer is in trouble and that you should enroll now for their program that will fix it. This scam comes in various forms. Often, the program suggests that it is a virus protection program which will continue to protect your computer. Wow, they are willing to help. You will pay anything to get that warning off your screen. Sometimes, they even say that you have been caught by the FBI with pirated material in your computer and you need to send money via a pre-paid Visa to pay the fines and penalties. Who would fall for that? It's scary how many do.
Who doesn't like a good deal? When someone offers you a $10,000 Rolex out of the back of his car, how are you to know where it came from? It's the same online; there are all kinds of deals on the Internet. Free programs, free trials, and even digital delights that you know aren't above board. Smart people or people who have been burned before just walk on by. You may be smart, but the offer looks too legit and too tempting. So you download a copy of a game or program that came out only yesterday for a third of the price. What a deal! But just like how that fake Rolex dealer duped you, you may also find yourself paying for a phony program. Then, as an extra bonus, it may even have a virus that corrupts your data to keep you from tracing its source.
There are pirates and then there are people who dress like Johnny Depp. Real pirates will find what they are looking for by going to respectable pirate hangouts, like The Pirate Bay that has a cute little skull and cross-bone symbol for virus-free pirate booty. Novice pirates don't know that being an ignorant pirate doesn't pay. Torrent files can be infected by a virus easy enough. You may get your hot copy of a shaky cam capture of The Hobbit with only a few bobbing heads at the bottom of the screen, but you may get a Gollum virus as well.
The first and perhaps still the best stupid way to get a virus is via email. It seems so personal. Whoever this is, sent it to you directly. He even called you by name. Or, it may be from someone you know who has something you just have to see, just click. Now what? You click and acquire a killer virus. How could your friend do this to you? Your friend probably didn't. Someone hacked into his email account and then sent all of his friends a big surprise. Now your computer has crashed, and you are in need of a secure data recovery engineer.
Also Read :
How to Avoid Email Scams
Top 3 Rules for Safer Emailing
Word of Warning
The rule of emails: do not open it if you don't know who sent it. And in today's environment, any good friend knows to send you a funny picture on Facebook, not via email.
Recently, an Australian reporter interviewed a virus maker. He is 16. He can kill any personal computer in the world. He showed the reporter his whole operation--just him and an old laptop. His motivation? Pride. He is proud of his creations and wants to share them with you. All you need to do is click.
How to Avoid Viruses on Your Computer
1. Falling for Lures and Traps
Are you a fish? Then why are you acting like one? You swim around the Internet looking for interesting items. Like a fish, when you see something shiny or that looks like food, you click. Free what? Wow. You can't pass this up. Before you know it, you're hooked; and you don't even know what you signed up for, let alone how to cancel it. Then, you notice a program that pops up every time you log in. Soon, your hard drive is getting fried and your search engine is crawling in strange places while pop-ups ignore your pop-up blocker. The lesson here is - if you don't know what it is, where it came from, or who is offering it, don't click.
Also Read :
7 Tips to Keep Your Personal Computer Secure
How to Protect Your Computer from Malware (Infographic)
2. Virus Pirates
A virus pirate is someone who plants a virus in your computer. This states that your computer is in trouble and that you should enroll now for their program that will fix it. This scam comes in various forms. Often, the program suggests that it is a virus protection program which will continue to protect your computer. Wow, they are willing to help. You will pay anything to get that warning off your screen. Sometimes, they even say that you have been caught by the FBI with pirated material in your computer and you need to send money via a pre-paid Visa to pay the fines and penalties. Who would fall for that? It's scary how many do.
3. Buying from the Proverbial Back of a Car
Who doesn't like a good deal? When someone offers you a $10,000 Rolex out of the back of his car, how are you to know where it came from? It's the same online; there are all kinds of deals on the Internet. Free programs, free trials, and even digital delights that you know aren't above board. Smart people or people who have been burned before just walk on by. You may be smart, but the offer looks too legit and too tempting. So you download a copy of a game or program that came out only yesterday for a third of the price. What a deal! But just like how that fake Rolex dealer duped you, you may also find yourself paying for a phony program. Then, as an extra bonus, it may even have a virus that corrupts your data to keep you from tracing its source.
4. Piracy
There are pirates and then there are people who dress like Johnny Depp. Real pirates will find what they are looking for by going to respectable pirate hangouts, like The Pirate Bay that has a cute little skull and cross-bone symbol for virus-free pirate booty. Novice pirates don't know that being an ignorant pirate doesn't pay. Torrent files can be infected by a virus easy enough. You may get your hot copy of a shaky cam capture of The Hobbit with only a few bobbing heads at the bottom of the screen, but you may get a Gollum virus as well.
5. Email Spam and Scam
The first and perhaps still the best stupid way to get a virus is via email. It seems so personal. Whoever this is, sent it to you directly. He even called you by name. Or, it may be from someone you know who has something you just have to see, just click. Now what? You click and acquire a killer virus. How could your friend do this to you? Your friend probably didn't. Someone hacked into his email account and then sent all of his friends a big surprise. Now your computer has crashed, and you are in need of a secure data recovery engineer.
Also Read :
How to Avoid Email Scams
Top 3 Rules for Safer Emailing
Word of Warning
The rule of emails: do not open it if you don't know who sent it. And in today's environment, any good friend knows to send you a funny picture on Facebook, not via email.
Recently, an Australian reporter interviewed a virus maker. He is 16. He can kill any personal computer in the world. He showed the reporter his whole operation--just him and an old laptop. His motivation? Pride. He is proud of his creations and wants to share them with you. All you need to do is click.